1. Field
The present invention generally relates to a PET-MRI hybrid system, and more particularly to a PET-MRI hybrid system that can arrange a PET apparatus and an MRI apparatus in a line.
2. Background
Recently, medical imaging technology has rapidly evolved in modern medical science due to developments in life science and molecular science. One of the most common imaging technologies is the Positron Emission Tomography (PET), wherein the metabolism of a human body is researched by using an isotope and nuclear medicine images are obtained. The other common imaging technology is the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), wherein anatomic variations of a human body are observed by utilizing the principle of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR).
PET allows the molecular variations in a specific region of a brain to be three-dimensionally observed by using a radioactive isotope bonded to a specific ligand, thereby allowing the action mechanism of a brain to be understood in terms of molecule and genetic engineering. MRI provides anatomical information with high resolution. Further, the functional MRI (FMRI) derived from MRI allows oxygen and an amount of bloodstream controlling it in the specific region according to nerve activation to be observed relatively easily compared to PET.
However, while PET allows the physiological and molecular variations of brain cells to be observed, it has a low resolution. MRI can provide the tomographic images of a brain with good resolution. However, it cannot provide any molecular and genetic variations. The fMRI also allows the variation of the bloodstream to be observed, although it cannot replace the functions of PET. Further, since PET and MRI use functionally and physically different principles, it is very difficult to integrate them. Moreover, since an ultra-high magnetic field is used for the ultra-high-resolution MRI (7.0 T), there can be a problem in that the normal operation of the PET system is disturbed by the magnetic field.